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Re: Star Wars Bandai Kit Thread
Hi wedge, it's been a busy last few days. Happy new year to you. Which sets did you get? I may be able to recommend a few strategies.
Question #1 - Yes, they literally, just snap together. Surprisingly with extreme precision It's beautiful thing to experience the model come to life.
Question #2 - There are a few factors for me when I try and decide if I want to paint vs. apply the stickers. I'll try and explain how I approach it.
First thing I always do is look at the sticker sheet and assess how many details could be painted and if I have the right colours on hand. Sometimes you don't need a lot of colour, cause you can create your own by mixing.
Second I usually assess how easy it will be to paint on the detailing. Are the details just solid shapes or is there some convoluted or minuscule shapes that are not practical with stickers. Darth Vader is a perfect example. The stickers are completely useless for the buttons on his chest. Laughable really. It's way easier to a few touches of paint. Sometimes it's not so easy, like the Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike kit or R5-D4's head. I would opt not to paint some of those details.
Another important factor to me is movie accuracy. I always try and use the source material to nail down the detailing or get the colour the way I want it. In many cases, even add more detailing that the stickers omit. For example, R2-D2. I didn't like how light the blue so I created my own darker blue and added more detailing that I noticed from Episode IV. Vader was a good example of how I added two tones of black on his mask just like the movie. I had no idea until another customizer mentioned to me his helmet is not all black!
Effort is another factor. Some sets require a lot of work. For example, Boba Fett. He clearly need to get that worn in look and there is no stickers that will ever do his battle damaged look justice.
When it comes to actually painting, I prefer to paint on the racks. Most of the cut points are in areas that will not be seen once snapped together. But for those don't follow this, I sometimes cut it right off and paint it. I usually don't touch up cut points once it's snapped together. Mostly because they usually don't show anyways.
One other practical aspect of painting is you rarely have to paint an entire piece. Only apply paint to the area that will be seen. This saves time and paint.
I forget if I mentioned this before but I like to use the tooth pick method. Sometimes the area being paints is so damn tiny, you can't help paint over the boundaries. I just wait till it dries and then scrape off the excess with a toothpick. Doesn't damage the plastic and you get a perfect edge.
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